Coalsack

Coalsack
/kohl"sak'/, n. Astron.
a dark nebula in the southern constellation Crux, whose dust particles obscure light from Milky Way stars behind it. Also, Coal Sack. Also called Southern Coalsack.
[1625-35; COAL + SACK1]

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Dark nebula in the Crux constellation (Southern Cross).

It reduces the brightness of stars beyond it by 1–1.5 magnitudes. Easily visible against a starry background, it is probably about 550–600 light-years from Earth and 20–30 light-years in diameter. It figures in legends of peoples of the Southern Hemisphere and has been known to Europeans since с 1500. The Northern Coalsack, in the constellation Cygnus, is similar in nature and appearance but somewhat less obvious.

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▪ nebula
      a dark nebula in the Crux constellation (Southern Cross). Easily visible against a starry background, it is perhaps the most conspicuous dark nebula. Starlight coming to Earth through it is reduced by 1 to 1.5 magnitudes. The Coalsack is about 500 light-years from Earth and 50 light-years in diameter. It figures in legends of peoples of the Southern Hemisphere and has been known to Europeans since about 1500. The Northern Coalsack, in the constellation Cygnus, is similar in nature and appearance but somewhat less prominent.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Coalsack — Coal sack , n. [Coal + 2d sack.] (Astron.) Any one of the spaces in the Milky Way which are very black, owing to the nearly complete absence of stars; esp., the large space near the Southern Cross sometimes called the {Black Magellanic Cloud}.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Coalsack — [kōl′sak΄] n. Astron. a prominent dark nebula in the Milky Way near the constellation Crux: usually with the: sometimes written Coal Sack …   English World dictionary

  • Coalsack — /ˈkoʊlsæk/ (say kohlsak) noun one of two dark areas in space, the Southern Coalsack, a large dark space near the Southern Cross, and the Northern Coalsack, a dark space in the Milky Way in the northern constellation Cygnus …  

  • Coalsack — Nebulosa oscura en la constelación de la Cruz del Sur. Reduce el brillo de las estrellas ubicadas detrás de ella en 1 a 1,5 magnitudes. Fácilmente visible por contraste contra el cielo estrellado, está probablemente a unos 550–600 años–luz de la… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Coalsack — Coal•sack [[t]ˈkoʊlˌsæk[/t]] n. 1) astron. a dark nebula in the Southern Cross 2) astron. Northern Coalsack • Etymology: 1625–35 …   From formal English to slang

  • Coalsack — /kohl sak /, n. Astron. a dark nebula in the southern constellation Crux, whose dust particles obscure light from Milky Way stars behind it. Also, Coal Sack. Also called Southern Coalsack. [1625 35; COAL + SACK1] …   Useful english dictionary

  • Coalsack Nebula — The Coalsack Nebula Observation data (Epoch J2000.0) Type Dark …   Wikipedia

  • Coalsack Bluff — (84°14′S 162°25′E / 84.233°S 162.417°E / 84.233; 162.417) is a small rock bluff standing at the northern limits of Walcott Neve, 6 miles (10 km) west southwest of Bauhs Nunatak. It was so named by the …   Wikipedia

  • Southern Coalsack — Astron. Coalsack. * * * …   Universalium

  • Northern Coalsack — /nɔðən ˈkoʊlsæk/ (say nawdhuhn kohlsak) noun See Coalsack …  

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